EDITOR'S CHOICE -- SCOTT SUTTELL

Oh crap! Our blogger gets pooped on by a bird

Blog Entry: May 03, 2013 12:14 PM | Author: SCOTT SUTTELL

Stories about the U.S. Treasury Secretary aren't usually amusing, but this one has a comment that's good for a laugh.

The Wall Street Journal notes that Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew “has been holding a series of meetings with economists, academics, regional bankers and businesses in an effort to sound out different groups on the economy and Washington policies.” Mr. Lew will be in Cleveland next week, where he will speak at the City Club and stop at high-end blender maker Vitamix Corp.

Of the series of meetings, one anonymous Treasury official tells The Journal, “It's really important to him to get out of Washington on a frequent basis to hear from a diversity of voices.”

He also met with heads of regional banks on Tuesday, including Beth Mooney, chairman and CEO of Cleveland-based KeyCorp.

Guests at the City Club forum next week should come prepared to ask Mr. Lew some hard questions. I doubt he got many this week.

This and that

Aging gracefully: The chief economist of real estate website Trulia breaks down some numbers on the country's housing stock and concludes that if you like an old house, Cleveland is a good place to be.

For instance, homes from the 1920s “are easiest to find in New York (12.3% of on-market homes there were built in the 1920s), Los Angeles (9.7%), and several Ohio markets including Toledo, Akron, Dayton and Cleveland.”

If that's a little too old for you, fear not.

“Homes built in the 1940s account for the highest share of today's for-sale listings in Detroit (19.6%), Los Angeles (10.2%) and Cleveland (9.1%),” according to the story on Forbes.com.

Getting on his horse:The New York Times runs a long profile of jockey Kevin Krigger, who is trying to become the first African-American since 1902 to win the Kentucky Derby.

Mr. Krigger has local ties.

In 2001, the story notes, the then 17-year-old Mr. Krigger landed at ThistleDown Racino, where he eventually won 50 races.

Mr. Krigger has a good shot this weekend. He's riding Goldencents, the Derby favorite and the horse that recently won the Santa Anita Derby.

If Goldencents wins tomorrow in Kentucky, Mr. Krigger would be the first black jockey to win the Kentucky Derby since Jimmy Winkfield won two straight, in 1901 and 1902.

I know it's a friendly rather than a qualifier, but these are pretty low numbers. But as they say — plenty of good seats available.

The omen: My day got off to a bad start — I took a (very) heavy load of bird poop on the head and back when I got out of my car.

When I shared that information, a family member forwarded me this optimistic link about “18 omens of good fortune,” one of which is “When bird droppings land on your head.”

From the story:

Many people believe this to be a major sign of wealth coming from heaven. Hence, although it is really yucky and a major inconvenience, when something like this happens to you, take comfort in the fact that this is described as good luck being just around the corner! In fact, most things associated with birds tend to spell good fortune, such as when birds fly to your home and start making nests in and around your house. While bats bring abundance, birds bring good news and opportunities. The next time a flock of ravens, pigeons or magpies come to your home, feed them with bird seeds. Birds are also said to be powerful protectors and guardians. Even crows are said to be messengers of the Gods. So welcome birds with open arms.

I'm not feeling very welcoming to birds right now, but I'm very open to signs of wealth coming my way.

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